Part of a 1995 documentary called "Westminster's Secret Service", which was aired today, included an interview with Tim Fortescue, a government whip in the 70's, in which he said:
“For anyone with any sense, who was in trouble, would come to the whips and tell them the truth, and say now, I’m in a jam, can you help?
“It might be debt, it might be… a scandal involving small boys, or any kind of scandal in which, erm er, a member seemed likely to be mixed up in, they’d come and ask if we could help and if we could, we did.
“And we would do everything we can because we would store up brownie points… and if I mean, that sounds a pretty, pretty nasty reason, but it’s one of the reasons because if we could get a chap out of trouble then, he will do as we ask forever more.”
Neil Hamilton, in an interview on TV tonight, said that whips kept a "dirt book" in which they would note down overheard conversations, reports of incidents involving inappropriate behaviour, etc. However, he said that they would not hide serious misconduct. He then went on to say that he had heard of possible paedophile activities but had never had proof of it.
The interviewer said "There were allegations, you said, of things that might be considered illegal now and they were in the "dirt book". Was there anything you discovered which you feel now you ought to have said something about at the time?"
He replied, with a smirk, "I'm saving that for my memoirs." He seemed to find the whole thing rather amusing.
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